The invention relates to an assembled shaft consisting of a hollow shaft and elements with through-bores such as bearing bushes, cams or gear wheels attached to it by expanding it in individual associated longitudinal portions and to a process for producing an assembled shaft by fixing elements such as bearing bushes, cams or gear wheels on a hollow shaft by expanding the latter in individual associated longitudinal portions.
EP-A-0 213 529 describes a process for attaching drive elements such as cams, gears or bearing bushes on a hollow shaft which consists of a commercial tube, with the drive elements being slid onto it and attached to it by expanding the tube portions positioned inside them. The material of the tube itself being deformed plastically whereas that of the drive elements is deformed only elastically so that due to the spring-back of the latter a firm fit on the shaft is achieved. Furthermore, the unpublished German Patent Applications P 36 33 435.9 and P 3717516, specify dimensioning rules according to which, as a function of the material properties of the tube and drive elements, and especially of their modulus of elasticity and yield point, the geometric conditions, e.g. the inner and outer tube diameter have to be determined in order to achieve a non-rotating, force-locking connection between the shafts. It has been found that if the invention, in particular, is applied to camshafts of motor vehicle engines, the component dimensions required by these dimensioning rules, for design and weight reasons, cannot always be made available.